Container unit for the storage and protection of laboratory substances

ABSTRACT

A container unit for the storage and protection of laboratory substances includes a protective housing and a dosage-dispensing unit. To make the dosage-dispensing unit ready for use, the protective housing is removable. As a means to optimize the simplicity and safety of handling the unit and to achieve the required protection for the laboratory substance contained in it, at least one chamber is formed in the protective housing and filled with a treatment agent. The at least one chamber has a passage opening directed towards the interior space, with a chamber closure element allowing the passage opening to be closed gas-tight. The treatment agent inside the chamber can preferably be filled into the chamber and sealed off gas-tight with the chamber closure element already during the process of manufacturing the protective enclosure.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation under 35 USC §120 ofPCT/EP2008/053766, filed 28 Mar. 2008, which is in turn entitled tobenefit of a right of priority under 35 USC §119 from European patentapplication 07 10 5842.4, filed 10 Apr. 2007. The content of each of theapplications is incorporated by reference as if fully recited herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed embodiments are related to a container unit for thestorage and protection of powders and pastes in quantities that aretypical for laboratory applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

In companies with regional or global operations, where new substancesare developed and intermediate products as well as samples fromproduction processes are analyzed, a large portion of the time isconsumed throughout the entire workflow for the logistics processes thatare required in order to dispense these substances in measured dosesfrom source containers into receiving containers at different locationsin the laboratory or also in different laboratories that are dispersedworldwide. Particularly in the case of hazardous materials, for exampletoxic or carcinogenic substances, the required safety measures are verytime-consuming and expensive. The cost for a large dosage-dispensingsystem with an automatic feeder device to move the substance cannot bejustified for this kind of application, because such systems are veryexpensive.

Therefore, in order to make the workflow more efficient, there is a needfor lower-cost dosage-dispensing instruments, so that a larger number ofthese instruments can be placed in different respective locations. Suchdosage-dispensing instruments are particularly advantageous if they areconfigured as retrofittable units which can be used in high-precisionanalytical balances. A dosage-dispensing unit is disclosed in Frenchpublished application 2 846 632 A1 which can be coupled to and uncoupledfrom an actuating device. The dosage-dispensing device consists inessence of a reservoir container which is connected to the dispensinghead. The dispensing head has an outlet opening which can be opened andclosed by means of a slider valve. To store the dosage-dispensing unitwith the substance contained in it, the entire dispensing head,specifically its openings, can be closed off from the outside with aprotective push-on cap. The dosage-dispensing unit as disclosed issuitable for use in so-called compound libraries, i.e. very largesubstance repositories with defined and controlled climatic conditions.

However, if the dosage-dispensing units are to be mailed out worldwide,special attention needs to be paid to the protection of thedosage-dispensing unit and the substance contained in it, for examplewith measures against the penetration of moisture or dirt and to avoidpersonal accidents which could be caused for example by an unintendedescape of toxic substances.

With the aim of protecting the integrity of the substance and to avoidthe risk of personal accidents, the disclosed embodiments therefore havethe objective to create a container unit for laboratory substances:

-   -   which is safe and simple to handle    -   which protects the substance contained in it from outside        influences, for example moisture and contaminants,    -   which prevents personal accidents which could be caused for        example by substance escaping from the dosage-dispensing unit,        and also prevents unauthorized withdrawals of laboratory        substances, and    -   which can be equipped with means to hold information regarding        the properties and the condition of the substance contained in        the dosage-dispensing unit.

SUMMARY

The objectives just named are met by a laboratory container unit for thestorage and protection of laboratory substances in accordance with theindependent device claim.

A laboratory substance container unit for the storage and protection oflaboratory substances includes a protective housing and adosage-dispensing unit. The dosage-dispensing unit includes a reservoircontainer and a dispensing head, with the protective housing beingreleasably connected to the dosage-dispensing unit. For the purposes oftransportation and storage, the protective housing encloses at least allof those parts of the dispensing head that are pervious to gas, so thatbetween the dosage-dispensing unit and the protective housing there isan interior space that is sealed off tightly from the outside. Toprepare the dosage-dispensing unit for operation, the protective housingcan be removed from the dosage-dispensing unit. The protective housingis preferably connected to the dosage-dispensing unit by means of anarrow-pitched screw thread connection, a bayonet coupling with a detentelement, or by means of clamp-on closure elements which can be securedwith tamper-proof seals. The protective housing has the primary functionto form a shield between the surrounding space and the laboratorysubstance inside the dosage-dispensing unit, in particular to block leakpassages in the dispensing head. This barrier is necessary, because itis almost impossible to make the dispensing head permanently air-tight.The potential leak passages which lead through the dispensing head intothe reservoir container include in particular the outlet opening as wellas bore holes that may be arranged in the dispensing head for thecoupling connection to a flow rate control device as well as theconnection between the dispensing head and the reservoir container. Theprotective housing further performs the function of a barrier wallsurrounding the dispensing head, so that substance particles which couldremain stuck to the outside of the dispensing head in the area of theoutlet opening after the dispensing process will remain safely lockedaway in the interior space of the protective housing and pose no dangerto people and the environment.

In order to make the handling as simple and safe as possible and toprovide the required protection for the substance contained inside,there is at least one chamber formed in the protective housing which isfilled with a treatment agent. The at least one chamber has a passageopening directed towards the interior space, wherein the passage openingcan be closed gas-tight with a chamber closure element. The treatmentagent contained in the chamber can preferably be filled into the chamberalready during the process of producing the protective housing and canbe sealed gas-tight with the chamber closure element.

The chamber can be configured in the protective housing in such a waythat the treatment agent can be filled into the chamber from theoutside. The protective housing can also be configured with a pluralityof parts. For example chambers that are arranged on the outside of theprotective housing and are connected to the interior space by means ofpassage openings belong likewise to the protective housing.

While laboratory containers that can be closed gas-tight, wherein forexample small bags with desiccant agents are enclosed directly with thesubstance, are known to be in daily use, the arrangement offers enormousadvantages over this conventional storage concept.

The treatment agent is always spatially separated from the laboratorysubstance, so that no problems occur with the treatment agent whentaking out laboratory substance and in the handling of the laboratorysubstance container unit. Furthermore, the treatment agent is already inplace and in faultless, for example unsaturated condition at the timewhen the chamber closure element of the protective housing is openedimmediately prior to connecting the dosage-dispensing unit with theprotective housing, whereby the treatment agent is allowed to takeeffect. If a chamber closure element in a protective housing is foundalready open, this would indicate unmistakably that the protectivehousing was already in use, so that the treatment agent is possiblysaturated and therefore no longer effective, and that the inside of theprotective housing may possibly be contaminated. It is therefore ofadvantage if the chamber closure element is designed so that it cannotbe closed again. For example, a tear-off tag formed on the protectivehousing or a tear-off sealing sticker could be used as a chamber closureelement.

Different treatment agents may be employed, depending on the laboratorysubstance that is to be stored. Substances that are known to be used astreatment agents are for example binding agents such as silica gel,molecular sieve, activated charcoal, and activated clay (potassiumbentonite). However, the treatment agent does not necessarily have to bea binding agent. It is also absolutely possible to fill the chamber withtreatment agents which for example bind or displace oxygen from the air.When using displacing treatment agents, there is of course an outletrequired from the interior space to the outside, for example a pressurerelief valve. The treatment agent is preferably present in solid form,but of course it can also be filled into the chamber as a liquid or gas,in which case the chamber closure element and the passage opening has tobe designed in accordance with the state of aggregation of the treatmentagent. For special solutions it is even conceivable to fill reactioncomponents into the chambers which are intentionally planned to cause achange of the laboratory substance in the reservoir container during thestorage time. Such special solutions could be used for example in agingtests, by filling the chamber for example with water or even with anoxygen carrier such as potassium nitrate instead of the treatment agent.

The passage opening can of course be configured in very different ways.It is preferably designed so that no treatment agent can escape throughthe passage opening into the interior space, but that the passageopening still allows gas to pass through. When coarse-grain silica gelis used, it is sufficient to use for example a sieve insert, while inthe case of finer powders, it is preferred to arrange a gas-permeablemembrane or a tissue in the passage opening.

If the same protective housing is to be used more than once, it can havemore than one chamber, with each chamber having its own chamber closureelement. In one possible embodiment, each of these chambers can befilled with a different treatment agent, so that the one treatment agentthat is specifically suitable for the laboratory substance can beactivated by opening the respective chamber closure element. Of courseeach chamber closure element can be provided with appropriate directionsfor use. It is of course possible to activate several treatment agentsat once by removing more than one chamber closure element.

To provide a simple way of filling the laboratory substance containerunit, specifically its reservoir container, with a laboratory substance,the reservoir container can have a substance-receiving space and a fillopening. The fill opening can be tightly closed with a lid, whereby thesubstance-receiving space can be tightly sealed against the outside. Theconnection between the lid and the fill opening is preferably designedso that the lid cannot be opened again, once it has been closed.

To make it easy to fill the laboratory substance into the containerunit, the lid is preferably not part of the protective housing, so thatthe lid and the protective housing can be connected independently ofeach other to the dosage-dispensing unit.

The lid can likewise include at least one lid chamber. The latter has alid chamber passage opening which in the closed condition of thereservoir container is directed towards the substance-receiving space.The lid chamber passage opening can likewise be closed up gas-tight witha chamber closure element. Everything said herein about a chamber or aplurality of chambers and their chamber closure elements is analogouslyapplicable for the lid chambers.

Especially in large substance storage systems, the advantage of beingable to monitor the stored substances individually cannot beoverestimated. In order to make it possible to check the condition ofthe treatment agent or of the laboratory substance, there can be atleast one indicator and/or sensor arranged in the at least one chamberand/or in the interior space and/or, if applicable, in the lid chamber.The sensor can be a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a gas sensor, oran optical sensor.

The at least one sensor preferably has a wireless or wire-boundconnection to a monitoring unit that is arranged inside or outside thelaboratory substance container unit. The externally arranged monitoringunit can be connected to the substance storage management system. Assoon as irregularities occur with a laboratory substance container unit,it is conceivable that for example the robot that is tied into thesubstance storage management system could automatically be dispatched tofetch the laboratory substance container unit in question and put itinto an output or disposal station.

In case the chamber and, if applicable, the lid chamber is equipped withan observation window and an indicator, the condition of the treatmentagent or the conditions existing in the interior space of the laboratorysubstance container unit can also be verified optically. Such anindicator can be a treatment agent such as for example silica gel, whichchanges its color from blue to red as soon as it has reached a certaindegree of moisture saturation. The monitoring unit described above couldin this case monitor the condition of the treatment agent by means of anoptical sensor, where the optical sensor would not even need to bearranged in the interior of the laboratory substance container unit, butcould register the color change through the observation window. Theoptical sensor can in this case be permanently installed in the parkinglocation of a laboratory substance container unit.

Of course, the reservoir container and/or at least a housing componentof the dispensing head and/or the protective housing can be made of atransparent material. This provides a problem-free way to check how muchsubstance remains in the laboratory substance container unit. It canfurther be verified whether the dispensing head is still tightly sealedor whether laboratory substance is already present in the interior spaceof the protective housing, so that there will be a danger ofcontamination when the protective housing is removed.

As a means to protect the laboratory substance filled into thelaboratory substance container unit from harmful radiation from theenvironment, the transparent material can have filter properties forcertain wavelengths of light, or it can be coated with a material havingsuch filter properties.

If the coated material with the filter properties is arranged in theinterior space, it can also have the properties of an indicator. Forexample, if the relative air humidity in the interior space is too high,the coating material could change color as a result of the humidity orit could even loose its transparency. The coating material itself canalso absorb part of the humidity and can thus serve as a treatmentagent.

In an advantageous embodiment, the reservoir container further has scalemarkings, so that the substance quantity in the reservoir container canbe verified by simple visual observation.

To facilitate handling, the protective housing preferably has a flatbottom which forms a stable base for the laboratory substance containerunit to stand on. The stable standing base makes it safe and easy tofill the reservoir container with a laboratory substance.

The reservoir container and the dispensing head of the dosage-dispensingunit do not necessarily have to be connected in a way that allows themto be separated from each other. If a lid and a fill opening areprovided, the reservoir container and the dispensing head can also beintegrally connected in one piece.

In addition to the chambers, the protective housing can have at leastone gas inlet and/or a vacuum connection which is equipped with a checkvalve and can be connected to a gas supply source or a vacuum pump. Theconnection of the protective housing to the gas supply source or thevacuum pump can be maintained during an initial storage period or can bein place for only a short period for filling or evacuating. With the gassupply or the vacuum pump, the interior space of the protective housingcan be filled with either a gas atmosphere or with a sub-ambientatmospheric pressure, which also propagates through the dispensing headinto the reservoir container and replaces the air in thedosage-dispensing unit. This allows for example the useful life of thetreatment agent in the at least one chamber to be influenced. Asub-ambient atmospheric pressure or partial vacuum in the protectivehousing and in the dosage-dispensing unit can function as an additionalsafety measure, because in case of a leak, air will penetrate into thelaboratory substance container unit, but no substance will be able toescape to the outside. A hermetic (gas-tight) closure is necessary inorder to be able to maintain the gas atmosphere or the partial vacuum inthe interior of the container unit. The container unit as well as thereservoir container will of course have to be designed to havesufficient strength to withstand the pressure.

In addition to or instead of the gas connection, the protective housingcan further contain at least one gas cartridge which can be actuatedfrom the outside to flood the interior space with gas. The actuationfrom the outside implies that the dosage-dispensing unit is firstcovered with the protective housing, and the valve of the gas cartridgeis operable for example through a push button or rotary knob that isaccessible from the outside. Depending on its design, the valve of thegas cartridge can be opened irreversibly, or it can be capable of beingclosed again. If the valve of the gas cartridge can be closed again,this makes it possible that when the protective housing is removed morethan once, the interior space can be flooded with gas again each timeafter the laboratory substance container unit has been reassembled. Asan advantageous feature, there should be an opening with a check valve,so that the air displaced by the gas of the cartridge can escape fromthe interior space to the outside. Such an opening can also berepresented by the connection between the protective housing and thedosage-dispensing unit if the housing expands under the inside pressureto such an extent that during a short time a leak will occur through theconnection, so that the excess pressure in the interior space can bereleased through this leak.

In a further embodiment, there can be a means of identification arrangedon the reservoir container and/or on the dispensing head and/or on theprotective housing. This identifier means is preferably an RFID tag, abarcode or matrix code label, or a printed or handwritten adhesivelabel.

As a further safety element, the laboratory substance container unit canbe sealed with a tamper-proof security label or tamper-proof seal, whichis designed so that it has to be visibly broken in order to remove thedosage-dispensing unit from the protective housing.

If the protective housing has a cup-shaped configuration, the dosagematerial which may stick to the outside of the dispensing head willcollect particularly in the interior space. If this is the case, aninsert which holds the laboratory substance particles back may bearranged in the interior space of the protective housing. Such an insertcould be for example a felt insert or a micro fiber insert whichelectrostatically attracts the laboratory substance particles. Ofcourse, one could also use other kinds of inserts such as a moistsponge, a suction device, rotating cleaning brushes and the like.

Of course, the handling of the laboratory substance container unitdescribed above can be automated by means of a laboratory robot. Toimplement this concept, the laboratory robot could perform the processesthat will now be described.

In a method to fill, transport and store a laboratory substancecontainer unit:

-   -   the reservoir container of the dosage-dispensing unit to which        the protective housing is connected as a standing base and whose        fill opening at the top is open, is filled with a laboratory        substance;    -   if applicable, the chamber closure element of the lid chamber        passage opening is removed or opened, and the fill opening is        closed with the lid;    -   the laboratory substance container unit is appropriately        identified, possibly sealed, and put into storage or sent to its        destination.

In a method to dispense substance from a filled laboratory substancecontainer:

-   -   the protective housing is removed from the dosage-dispensing        unit, while the fill opening at the top remains closed with the        lid;    -   the dosage-dispensing unit is connected to an actuating device        and is moved into position above a receiving container;    -   the dosage-dispensing process is started;    -   after the prescribed one or more substance quantities have been        dispensed into one or more receiving containers, the        dosage-dispensing unit is removed from the actuating device, the        chamber closure element of at least one chamber is removed or        opened, and the dosage-dispensing unit is connected again to the        protective housing; and    -   the laboratory substance container unit is returned to storage        or is disposed of.

As has been described farther above, there can be a monitoring unit forthe surveillance of one or more laboratory substance container units. Amethod to monitor a laboratory substance container unit which has beenfilled and put into storage can have the following steps:

-   -   a measurement signal connection from the sensor to the        monitoring unit is maintained continually or periodically, or is        initialized by way of a user input;    -   measurement signals delivered continually or periodically or at        one time by the sensor are received and registered by the        monitoring unit;    -   at least one measurement signal received by the monitoring unit,        or a measurement value obtained from the measurement signal, is        compared to at least one threshold value that is stored in the        monitoring unit;    -   if the threshold value is found to be exceeded, a warning signal        is transmitted to an output unit that belongs to the monitoring        unit, or to the indicator.

As can be concluded from the preceding description, the indicator is notnecessarily a substance which indicates a change for example by a turnin color. An indicator can also be an electronic component whichincludes a monitoring unit and an output unit as well as possibly asensor. The threshold value represents a border of a kind where thelaboratory substance contained in the laboratory substance containerunit can be negatively affected when the value is exceeded. For example,it is possible that in a certain pulverous laboratory substance arelative humidity of 0% to 15% in the interior space has no influence onthe ability of the substance to flow freely, but that individual powderparticles will begin to stick together as soon as a value of 15% isexceeded. The threshold value in this example would thus be 15%.

As a further possibility, a limit value could be defined, for example amaximally permissible temperature, where the total destruction of thelaboratory substance will have to be assumed if the limit has beenexceeded. As a second example if a threshold value is set at a lowertemperature than the limit value at which the laboratory substancebegins to break up, it would be possible to calculate the remaininguseful lifetime for the laboratory substance by keeping track ofmultiple incidents when the threshold value was exceeded and for howlong, and by keeping a running cumulative total of the time during whichthe temperature was above the threshold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Details of the laboratory substance container unit will become apparentfrom the description of the embodiments illustrated in the drawings,wherein identical parts are identified with identical reference numeralsand wherein:

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a laboratory substance containerunit, wherein the dosage-dispensing unit is partially pulled out of theprotective housing;

FIG. 2 shows an empty laboratory substance container unit in sectionalview in the assembled state, with a chamber that is filled with atreatment agent and closed up;

FIG. 3 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit in sectionalview in the assembled state, ready for storage or for transportation,wherein the lid has a lid chamber;

FIG. 4 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit in sectionalview, which is substantially analogous to the laboratory substancecontainer unit of FIG. 3, but is equipped with an automatic chamberclosure element;

FIG. 5 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit in sectionalview, which is substantially analogous to the laboratory substancecontainer unit of FIG. 3, but is equipped with a first embodiment of arotatable chamber closure element; and

FIG. 6 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit in sectionalview, which is substantially analogous to the laboratory substancecontainer unit of FIG. 3, but is equipped with a second embodiment of arotatable chamber closure element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a laboratory substance container unit 1 according toa first embodiment. A dosage-dispensing unit 2 with a reservoircontainer 3 and a dispensing head 5 is shown partially pulled out of aprotective housing 15. The reservoir container 3, which looks like asmall storage hopper for pourable bulk materials and which has acylindrical upper part 8 and a funnel-shaped bottom part 9, consistspreferably of a transparent material and has scale markings 50, so thatthe quantity of laboratory substance in the reservoir container 3 can beestimated easily.

In reference to the spatial orientation of the laboratory substancecontainer unit 1 or one of its components, expressions such as “upperpart”, “bottom part”, “above”, “below”, etc. always relate to theorientation of the dosage-dispensing unit in its operation-ready statefor the dispensing of a substance, where the reservoir container is ontop and the dispensing head is at the bottom.

A lid 11 over the top of the reservoir container 3 closes off a widefill opening 10. In the illustrated example, the lid 11 has an internalthread, which engages a first external thread 4 on the reservoircontainer 3. The lid 11 can further contain a seal ring (not shown) oranother suitable means to hermetically seal the reservoir container 3from the outside environment. At its lower end, the reservoir container3 is connected to the dispensing head 5 by way of a second externalthread 12 which engages an internal thread in the dispensing head 5. Ofcourse, the dispensing head 5 and the reservoir container 3 can also beintegrally connected with each other as one piece. The reservoircontainer 3 has a protruding shoulder 13 and a third external thread 14at the transition from the cylindrical upper part 8 to the funnel-shapedlower part 9. The protective housing 15, with a matching internal thread16, can be screwed tightly against the shoulder 13. To form a hermeticseal between the dosage-dispensing unit 2 and the protective housing 15,a seal ring (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) could be inserted between theshoulder 13 and the rim of the cup-shaped protective housing 15. Theprotective housing 15 could also be equipped with a gas- or vacuumconnection 51, whereby a gas supply source (not shown) or a vacuum pumpcould be connected by way of a valve, in order to create inside theprotective housing 15 either a gas atmosphere or a sub-ambient pressurelevel, which would spread through the gas-permeable passages in thedispensing head 5 all the way into the reservoir container 3.

The gas-permeable passages in the dispensing head 5 are in particularcaused by the closure element 6 which is movably constrained in thehousing of the dispensing head 5 and which serves to variably regulatethe orifice aperture of an outlet opening.

As a means to uniquely identify the dosage-dispensing unit, the lattercan be equipped with an identifier means 19, for example a barcode labelor an RFID tag. As a preferred concept however, all separable componentssuch as the dispensing head 5, the reservoir container 3, the lid 11 andthe protective housing 15 carry an identifier means 19, so that they canbe identified unambiguously as belonging to each other, and that nodangerous cross-contamination can occur as a result of mix-ups.

The protective housing 15 further contains a chamber 17, which isindicated with a broken line. The interior of the chamber 17 can beviewed from the outside, as the protective housing 15 has a transparentwindow 18 in the area of the chamber 17.

FIG. 2 shows an empty laboratory substance container unit 21 insectional view in the assembled state. The laboratory substancecontainer unit 21 represents a second embodiment which is nearlyidentical with the laboratory substance container unit of FIG. 1,however with the important exception that the reservoir container 23 isclosed at the top. The advantage provided is that there is neither afill opening nor a lid and therefore the risk of an atmospheric leak atthe lid or an unintentional lifting of the lid is avoided. On the otherhand, however, the process of filling the laboratory substance into thereservoir container 23 is more complicated than with the container unitof FIG. 1. For the filling process, the dosage-dispensing unit 22 has tobe separated from the protective housing 35 and turned upside down, thedispensing head 5 has to be taken off, and the laboratory substance hasto be filled through the smaller and less practical opening at thebottom.

FIG. 2 makes the leak passages or ring gaps between the housing of thedispensing head 5 and the closure element 6 even more evident than FIG.1.

The protective housing 35 includes the chamber 17 which has already beendescribed in the context of FIG. 1. Between the interior space 28 of theprotective housing 35 and the chamber 17, there is a passage opening 29which is closed up gas-tight with a chamber closure element 30. Thechamber closure element 30 shown in FIG. 2 is a foil sticker whichcovers and seals all of the holes of the sieve-like passage opening 29.The chamber 17 is filled with a treatment agent 52, for example thedesiccant silica gel. By simply tearing off the chamber closure element30, the passage opening 29 is set free, so that the effect of thetreatment agent 52 can spread into the interior space 28 and through theleaks of the dispensing head into the dosage-dispensing unit 22. Thetearing-off or opening of the chamber closure element 30 does notnecessarily have to be performed manually, but with a suitable designconfiguration it can also occur automatically in the process of joiningthe protective housing 35 to the dosage-dispensing unit 22. For examplea hook (not shown in the drawing) formed on the dispensing head 5 couldserve to tear off a foil sticker or lift off a cover lid. Through thetransparent window 18, it is possible to check whether the desiccantsilica gel, which is mentioned here as an example, has turned color,i.e., whether or not it is saturated with moisture. Of course it is alsopossible, depending on the treatment agent 52, to add specificindicators (not shown in FIG. 2) to the treatment agent. In laboratorysubstances that release acidic vapors, the treatment agent 52 could forexample be a calcium-containing substance, while the indicator is forexample a litmus paper strip.

Of course, as an alternative or in addition to the transparent window18, one could use at least one sensor 55 and at least one monitoringunit 56 which is connected to the sensor 55. The locations where thesensor 55 and the monitoring unit 56 are arranged are irrelevant. Thesensor 55 only has to meet the requirement that it can detect thecondition that is of interest in the interior of the laboratorysubstance container unit 21, more specifically that it can measure theparameter that is indicative of said condition, for example the relativehumidity. The sensor 55 can be arranged for example inside the reservoircontainer 23 or inside the protective housing 35 and can be connected tothe monitoring unit 56, which is arranged outside, by way of a physicalconnection 57 or a wireless connection 57. Furthermore, the sensor 55can also be arranged on the outside, for example in the vicinity of thetransparent window 18, to detect for example the fill level of thetreatment agent 52 contained in the chamber 17 or a color change of theindicator. Of course, the sensor 55 as well as the monitoring unit 56can be incorporated in the protective housing 35.

The bottom 27 of the protective housing 35 is preferably flat, in orderto form a stable standing base or foot for the laboratory substancecontainer unit 21. Of course, the protective housing 35 can includemechanical and electrical coupling elements, for example connectorsockets or coupling projections. By means of these coupling elements,the laboratory substance container unit 23 can be connected convenientlyand safely with other laboratory apparatus such as a multi-unitreceiving rack for laboratory substance container units 21 or with ahandling system such as a laboratory robot.

FIG. 3 shows a laboratory substance container unit 101 in sectional viewin the assembled state, ready for storage or transportation. Thereservoir container 123 of the dosage-dispensing unit 102 is filled witha laboratory substance 150. As in FIG. 1, the reservoir container 123has a fill opening which is closed with a lid 111. A lid chamber 131 isformed in the lid 111. Between the lid chamber 131 and the inside of thelid 111, there is a lid chamber passage opening 134, which is sealedgas-tight by means of a lid closure element 135. Arranged in the lidchamber 131 are a pouch 133 which is filled with a treatment agent andis gas-permeable, and an indicator 132. Due to the fact that the lid 111is made of transparent plastic, the indicator 132 can be convenientlyobserved from the outside.

In the protective housing 115 two chambers 117, 118 are formed, each ofwhich has a passage opening 129. One chamber 118 is still sealedgas-tight by means of a chamber closure element 130, while the otherchamber 117 is open towards the interior space 128 of the protectivehousing 115. In addition, to allow the chambers 117, 118 to be filled ina simple manner, each of the chambers 117, 118 also has a fill openingwhich is sealed gas-tight with a seal plug 119. This seal plug 119 canalso be bonded with an adhesive or welded to the protective housing 115,so that it cannot be opened.

The protective housing 115 may contain an insert 155 which binds thelaboratory substance particles. Such an insert 155 could be for examplea felt insert or a micro fiber insert which electrostatically attractsthe laboratory substance particles.

FIG. 4 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit 201 insectional view, with a dosage-dispensing unit 102 that is identical tothe dosage-dispensing unit shown in FIG. 3, so that is does not need tobe described again in detail. The protective housing 215 shown in FIG. 4has an automatic chamber closure element with a valve body 242. Aring-shaped chamber 218 is formed in the floor area of the protectivehousing 215 and filled with a treatment agent 252. Several passageopenings 229 extend radially from the chamber towards the center of theprotective housing 215. Arranged in the middle of the ring-shapedchamber 218 is the valve body 242, which is slidable within a range oflinear movement that is limited by end stops formed on the valve body242. The valve body 242 is pushed by a spring 241 against the directionin which the dosage-dispensing device 102 is installed in the protectivehousing 215. The valve body 242 has several windows 243, 244 which areconfigured and matched to the passage openings 229 in such a way thatthe gaseous medium in the interior space 228 can freely circulatebetween the chamber 218 and the interior space 228 as soon as thedosage-dispensing unit 102 is firmly connected to the protective housing215. The reason why this is possible is that the valve body 242 can bepushed by a part of the dosage-dispensing unit 102, for example thedispensing head, against the biasing force of the spring 241. As soon asthe protective housing 215 is removed from the dosage-dispensing unit,the spring 241 will push the valve body 215 into a closed position,where the passage openings 229 of the chamber 218 are covered by wallportions of the valve body 242. Of course, leakage paths in the form ofring-shaped gaps between the chamber and the valve body can be sealedgas-tight by means of appropriate sealing means such as O-rings.

Preferably, there is a first indicator 245 arranged in the chamber 218,to indicate the condition of the treatment agent 252. A second indicator246 provides the capability to monitor the interior space 228. If thetwo indicators 245, 246 of an assembled laboratory substance containerunit 201 indicate different conditions after an extended storage period,it is safe to assume that the valve body 242 is not functioningcorrectly so that the treatment agent cannot have its intended effect.

FIG. 5 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit 301 insectional view, with a dosage-dispensing unit 102 that is identical tothe dosage-dispensing unit shown in FIG. 3. The protective housing 315illustrated in FIG. 5 is equipped with a first embodiment of a rotatablechamber closure element that is manually operable from the outside.Inside the protective housing 315, a chamber 318 is formed which is ofcylindrical shape. Passage openings 329 are arranged between the chamber318 and the interior space 328 of the protective housing 315. Thechamber 318 is accessible from the outside in one area of the protectivehousing 315, meaning that the cylindrical shape of the chamber 318extends to the circumference of the protective housing 315. In thecylindrical chamber 318, a cup-shaped shell 340 is arranged so that itcan be turned between a closed position and an open position. The shell340 has several windows 343 which are configured and matched to thepassage openings 329 in such a way that the gaseous medium in theinterior space 328 can freely circulate between the chamber 318 and theinterior space 328 as soon as the shell 340 has been turned to the openposition by means of a handle 341. The shell 340 is filled with atreatment agent 352.

The first advantage of a chamber closure element that can be operatedform the outside is that the activation of the treatment agent 352 totake effect can be delayed at the discretion of the work user untilafter the laboratory substance container unit 301 has been assembled.The second advantage of this embodiment is that treatment agent 352 canbe exchanged without having to separate the dosage-dispensing unit 102from the protective housing 315. The shell 340 can be pulled out of thechamber 318 for this purpose, the treatment agent 352 can be exchanged,and the shell 340 can be set back into the chamber 318. Of course,leakage paths in the form of ring-shaped gaps between the chamber andthe shell 340 can be sealed gas-tight by means of appropriate sealingmeans such as O-rings, and the shell 340 can be secured in theprotective housing 315.

FIG. 6 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit 401 insectional view, with a dosage-dispensing unit 102 that is identical tothe dosage-dispensing unit shown in FIG. 3. The protective housing 415illustrated in FIG. 6 is equipped with a second embodiment of arotatable chamber closure element that is manually operable from theoutside. Inside the protective housing 415, more specifically in thearea of the floor, a ring-shaped chamber 418 is formed which is openfrom below. A cassette 440 of ring-shaped configuration fits into thering-shaped chamber 418 and is rotatable about its central axis betweena closed position and an open position. The ring-shape cassette 440 hasseveral cavities 445 that are filled with a treatment agent 452. Thecassette 440 is held in the chamber 418 of the protective housing 415 bymeans of a spring 451 and a rotary bearing 455. Passage openings 429 arearranged in at least a sector of the ring-shaped border surface betweenthe chamber 418 and the interior space 428 of the protective housing415. The ring-shaped cassette 440 has several windows 443 which areconfigured and matched to the passage openings 429 in such a way thatthe gaseous medium in the interior space 428 can freely circulatebetween the chamber 418, more specifically at least one of the cavities445, and the interior space 428, as soon as the cassette 440 has beenturned to the open position by means of a handle 441.

Although the invention has been presented though specific examples ofembodiments, there are obviously numerous further variations that couldbe created from a knowledge of the present invention, for example bycombining the features of the individual embodiments with each otherand/or by exchanging individual functional units of the embodimentsagainst each other. For example, the monitoring unit shown in FIG. 2 aswell as the sensor associated with it, or possibly several sensors,which are used to measure different parameters of the atmosphere in theinterior space, such as relative humidity, temperature, pressure and thelike, can also be used in all of the other laboratory substancecontainer units. Further embodiments of the dosage-dispensing head orfurther chamber closure elements are conceivable as well as differentpossible form-locking connections between the dosage-dispensing unit andthe protective housing.

1. A container unit for the storage and protection of a laboratorysubstance, comprising: a protective housing defining an interior space;a chamber formed inside the protective housing, the chamber providing avolume to receive a treatment agent; a passage opening of the chamberdirected toward the interior space; a chamber closure elementselectively closing the passage opening gas-tight; and adosage-dispensing unit comprising a reservoir container and a dispensinghead, the protective housing being removable from the dosage-dispensingunit for use of the dosage-dispensing unit, but being releasablyconnected to the dosage-dispensing unit when the dosage-dispensing unitis not in use, such that at least all gas-pervious parts of thedispensing head are enclosed inside the protective housing in theinterior space, which is sealed off tightly from the outside.
 2. Thecontainer unit of claim 1, further comprising: a substance-receivingspace in the reservoir container; a fill opening to thesubstance-receiving space; and a lid for tightly closing the fillopening so that the substance-receiving space is tightly sealed againstthe outside environment.
 3. The container unit of claim 2, wherein: thelid and the protective housing are independently connectable to thedosage-dispensing unit.
 4. The container unit of claim 3, furthercomprising: a lid chamber of the lid; and a lid chamber passage opening,directed towards the substance-receiving space; and a lid chamberclosure element for closing the lid chamber passage opening gas-tight.5. The container unit of claim 1, further comprising at least one of: anindicator; and a sensor, wherein, as applicable, the indicator or thesensor or both, is arranged in at least one of: the chamber, theinterior space and, if applicable, the lid chamber.
 6. The containerunit of claim 5, further comprising: a monitoring unit in electricalcommunication with the sensor.
 7. The container unit of claim 1, furthercomprising: an observation window on at least one of: the chamber and,if applicable, the lid chamber.
 8. The container unit of claim 1,wherein: at least one of: the reservoir container, at least a part ofthe housing of the dispensing head and the protective housing is made ofa transparent material.
 9. The container unit of claim 8, wherein: thetransparent material filters certain wavelengths of light, eitherinherently or due to a coating thereon.
 10. The container unit of claim9, wherein: the coated material is arranged in the interior space andalso has at least one of: indicator properties and treatment agentproperties.
 11. The container unit of claim 8, further comprising: scalemarkings associated with the reservoir container, for ascertaining thesubstance quantity in the reservoir container.
 12. The container unit ofclaim 1, further comprising: a flat bottom of the protective housing,providing a stable base for the container unit to stand on.
 13. Thecontainer unit of claim 1, wherein: the reservoir container and thedispensing head are integrally connected as one piece.
 14. The containerunit of claim 1, further comprising: at least one of: a gas inlet, and avacuum connection, wherein each gas inlet and vacuum connection providedis connected to a check valve, so that a gas atmosphere or a sub-ambientatmospheric pressure can be established in the interior space.
 15. Thecontainer unit of claim 1, further comprising: an identifier means,arranged at least one of: the reservoir container, the dispensing headand the protective housing, the identifier means selected from the groupconsisting of: an RFID tag, a barcode- or matrix code label, and aprinted or handwritten adhesive label.
 16. The container unit of claim1, further comprising: a tamper-proof protective seal that seals theprotective housing and is designed so that it has to be visibly brokenin order to take the dosage-dispensing unit out of the protectivehousing.
 17. The container unit of claim 1, further comprising: aninsert serving to bind laboratory substance particles, arranged in theinterior space.
 18. A method of filling, transporting and storing acontainer unit with a laboratory substance, comprising the steps of:providing a container unit of claim 4; arranging the dosage-dispensingunit with the protective housing connected as a standing base, with thefill opening open; filling at least partially the reservoir container ofthe arranged dosage-dispensing unit with the laboratory substance;removing or opening the chamber closure element of the lid chamberpassage opening and closing the fill opening with the lid; and storingby enclosing and, optionally sealing, the at least partially filleddosage-dispensing unit in the protective housing.
 19. A method fordispensing a laboratory substance from a container unit of claim 1,comprising the steps of: removing the protective housing from thedosage-dispensing unit with the fill opening remaining closed by thelid; connecting the dosage-dispensing unit to an actuating device andpositioning the dispenser thus assembled above a receiving container;dispensing at least one dosage of the laboratory substance into thereceiving container; and removing the dosage-dispensing unit from theactuating device, removing or opening the chamber closure element, andreplacing the dosage-dispensing unit into the protective housing, afterperforming the dispensing step one or more times.
 20. A method formonitoring a container unit of claim 6 which has been filled and putinto storage, comprising the steps of: establishing and maintaining ameasurement signal connection from the sensor to the monitoring unit;receiving and registering measurement signals at the monitoring unit;comparing, to at least one threshold value stored in the monitoringunit, at least one measurement signal received by the monitoring unit ora measurement value obtained from the at least one measurement signal;and transmitting a warning signal, to an output unit that belongs to themonitoring unit, or to the indicator, when the threshold value is foundto be exceeded in the comparing step.